Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Rio'16: Sailors Set Off

Ireland's six-strong Rio Olympics sailing squad set off for Brazil today, with the opening event in the sailing programme set to begin in just two weeks’ time.
Included in the team are Olympic veterans like Annalise Murphy who narrowly missed out on a medal four years ago in London when she finished fourth, and newcomers like Finn Lynch, who at 20 is the youngest ever Irish helm. Both go in single-handed Laser boats, and will be the first of the Irish sailors to take to the water on Monday August 8
Ryan Seaton and Matt McGovern compete in the men's 49er and Andrea Brewster with Saskia Tidey in the women's 49erFX.
Seaton and McGovern, who competed in London 2012, will be aiming to capitalise on a number of strong showings in the build-up to Rio. Leading the class are the four-times world champions from New Zealand. Brewster and Tidey survived a scare earlier this year when they were forced to take a three-month injury break to qualify for Rio.